Melrose Commons Site 5

Location:

Precaster:

Owner:

Architect:

Engineer:

William Atlas Associates, New York, NY

Contractor:

Blue Sea Construction, New York, NY

Project Scope

Sq. Footage:

71,640

Levels/Floors:

5

Structural Precast Elements:

• The building superstructure is built entirely of precast concrete components, utilizing load bearing exterior wall panels and an interior load bearing corridor wall.
• Precast concrete components included: stairwells, stairs, landings, roof penthouses and elevator shaft.
• Floors and roof are eight inch hollowcore plank and the voids were used to horizontally exhaust each housing unit, saving valuable floor by not requiring a vertical chase through the floors to the roof.
• Wall panels reduced the number of exterior joints, reducing air and moisture infiltration and creating a more energy efficient envelope.
• All the window and door headers and sills were installed at the plant, saving time.

Resources

The Melrose Common Site 5 affordable housing complex project is proof that affordability and environmentally-friendly design can go hand-in-hand. Located in the heart of the Bronx, this five-story 71,640 square foot building is awaiting LEED Platinum certification, the highest award from the US Green Building Council. And it was achieved through the use of a total precast concrete solution.

“Originally designed as a masonry building, the owner had the project redesigned using precast concrete to take advantage of precast’s speed of erection, minimal air infiltration, durability, less material waste and inherent green building properties,” says the architect. The building superstructure is built entirely of precast concrete components, utilizing load bearing exterior wall panels and an interior load bearing corridor wall. The floors and roof are eight-inch hollowcore plank and the stairwells, stairs, landings, roof penthouses and elevator shaft are all precast concrete. The voids in the hollowcore floor plank are used to horizontally exhaust each housing unit, saving valuable floor by not requiring a vertical chase through the floors to the roof.

The use of wall panels reduced the number of exterior joints, reducing air and moisture infiltration and creating a more energy efficient envelope. The precast also allowed for large window openings to bring in more daylight than would typically be found on masonry constructed affordable housing projects. Wind-powered turbine engines mounted on the top of the building will generate electricity for the building’s common areas. Oldcastle Precast Building Systems installed all the window and door headers and sills at the plant, saving time and the need for an on-site scissor lift on the project. The entire project was installed in just five weeks.

“Using a total precast building system and embedded thin-brick veneer enabled the project to be quickly erected with limited disturbance or impact to adjacent properties and neighbors,” says the architect.